Mask: Mba Mkpere Style
Date1960
Maker
Chukwu Okoro, Mgbom village, Afikpo
Nigerian, 1910 - 1987
Label TextThere once was a parade in Nigeria where men of different ages dressed to take on new identities for a few days and turn normal life upside down. This dedication to masquerade parades and plays was studied by Simon Ottenberg, whose books recount their effectiveness and whose masks form the basis for this display.
Beauty is exemplified by a maiden who walks with long strides while carrying a headdress with mirrors and feathers on her head. She is followed by a line of couples, leaders—some modern and others traditional—with two schoolchildren at the end. Beasts are characterized by their dark, rough, and often disheveled appearances. A masker known as Aro, or the slave trader, ends this sequence with a gun carried in the pouch on his back.
Object number2005.38
Published ReferencesSeattle Art Museum: Bridging Cultures, London: Scala Publishers Ltd. for the Seattle Art Museum, 2007, pp. 50-51Credit LineGift of Simon Ottenberg, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
Dimensions17 1/2 x 4 x 5 1/2in. (44.5 x 10.2 x 14cm)
MediumWood with raffia backing
Chukwu Okoro, Mgbom village, Afikpo
1960
Object number: 2005.42
Chukwu Okoro, Mgbom village, Afikpo
1960
Object number: 2005.43